Team Zabuza
by SamuraiBuddha
Summary: Zabuza replaces Kakashi as sensei of Squad 7 in a rewritten story of three genin and an elite with a dark past. Possible pairings in the future. Thanks for all the reads, reviews, and feedback for this story, but I am cancelling it. New Chapter for adoption is up now. Thank you!
1. Chapter 1

Volume 1 Chapter 1: Enter Zabuza Momochi!

Inspired by 'Sensei' by LadyOrange101a

Disclaimer: I only own the concepts and characters that I create, nothing else.

Chapter 1

Naruto

4 Years Ago

Blood dripped from his huge sword as he carried it over his shoulder, easily and well practiced. Zabuza scowled darkly at the trio of bodies lying at his feet. One had been cleaved in half while another was decapitated. The last carcass looked to have been disembowled. Lesser men would have lost their nerve, but Zabuza was a stone cold killer, and he had been the one to do the deed.

It was a dimly lit room carved out of stone, windowless and cold. Zabuza growled, "Are you through with your games? Or should I kill you too?" Snickering, a new arrival had a gray suit and bowler hat and said, "Well Mr. Momochi, your reputation was not an exaggeration was it? You truly are a demon." Pulling a piece of paper out of his jacket, the thin and small man grinned at Zabuza as the Demon read.

 _500,000,000 Ryo! Who could this be?_ Unfolding the now bloody paper, Zabuza gasped as he saw the name and title of his newest target. _Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage._ The killer remained silent, in shock at his latest charge. Brushing the still wet blood off his hands onto his pinstriped pants, Zabuza shook his head. "What the legendary 'Demon of the Hidden Mist' is afraid and refuses a hit?" The sleaze asked, but he grinned as he got the answer he was expecting. Zabuza explained,"Okane, I've never refused a job and I never will. I'm going to bring Sarutobi's head to you on a spit."

Naruto

Now

Impatiently looking back and forth through the hallway, a blonde haired boy with a Leaf headband stamped his feet. A pinkette girl in red scolded, "Naruto just sit down!" Sitting behind the desk that the pink haired girl was leaning against, a brooding dark haired teen rolled his eyes at his new teammates' antics. Naruto complained, "Sakura! How come our teacher is the only one that's late? Even Iruka-sensei went home and I'm ready to go. Believe it!" The brunette groaned, "Shut up Naruto. You and your stupid outfit are an eyesore." Naruto had an orange jump suit with a red swirl-crest on the back, but he didn't seem bothered by its bright colors.

"You shut up Sasuke! I'm outta here!"

Opening the door but not looking where he was going, Naruto ran head first into a dark haired man's naked torso. In shock, Naruto looked up into the tall man's eyes, savage and fierce. The new arrival was obviously a man compared to Sasuke and Naruto, a Leaf headband in his hair matching the teacher-less students. Growling at the former prankster, "Where do you think you're going?" The bare chested man shook his head, "We're going to the roof."

Naruto

On the Roof

"Introduce yourselves one at a time," Zabuza grumbled, standing on a rail while his students sat in front of him. Sakura asked, "Well what are we supposed to say?" Zabuza answered darkly, "What is your name? Why are you a ninja? Why does your village want your talents? What are your talents? What are you willing to die for?" The pinkette couldn't help but stare at her sensei's muscled chest, then noticed the scroll at his waist. _I wonder what's in that…_

"Maybe you should go first sensei, so you can show us how it is supposed to work," Naruto said and the Demon went along with it. Zabuza sighed, "I am Zabuza Momochi, formerly of the Village Hidden in the Mist. I am a ninja because I earned and respected what that means. The Leaf wants my talents because I was the strongest ninja in the Mist of my year at the Academy. The only child to pass the Graduation Exams actually. I am very good at fighting, and very good at breaking people. I am willing to do anything for my Village and my people, even fight against them." He leaned back, seemingly on the verge of falling off the roof, but he remained there unconscious of the danger.

Zabuza pointed at Naruto, "Believe it! My name's Naruto Uzumaki and I like ramen! I like instant ramen in a cup and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at the Ichiraku Noodle Shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait to pour the water in the cup. My hobby is eating the different types of ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then everyone can stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!" Eyes void of any emotion, Zabuza's face was completely unreadable to the genin as half of it was obscured by bandages anyway. _This is the Jinchuuriki… Pitiful._

Zabuza nodded to Sakura. Sakura took her turn proudly, "I'm Sakura Haruno. The things I like – uh – I mean the person I like – My dream for the future hehehehe." Zabuza no longer hid his disappointment, his face creased in a deep scowl, giving the slightest nod to Sasuke as he locked eyes with him.

"My name, is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality! I will restore my clan and destroy a certain someone." It was a long moment of silence as Sasuke's comrades gathered their thoughts. Naruto was quite obviously scared, _Gee I hope he doesn't mean me._ Sakura had a very different reaction, _Sasuke's sssssoooo hot!_

 _These kids are jokes. This is the worst assignment I've ever gotten._ "Tomorrow is your first mission. It's a task that the four of us will do together. A survival exercise," Zabuza said, getting all of students' confusion. Naruto complained, "What?" Equally confused, Sakura asked, "We already did Survival Exercises at the Academy Zabuza-sensei why are we doing it again?" Zabuza's tone shifted angrily and he growled, "I am your Master and you my Student. You will follow my direction to the letter without question and when you fail me, you fail your Village. Now meet me at the designated location at 4 AM, there you will experience something you've never faced before. Don't eat anything if you want to keep it down."

Naruto

The Next Day 4 AM

The genin arrived at the chosen spot on time, and Zabuza stood before them. With a hand on his hip, he smiled darkly. "Now the real Final Exam can begin. Of the 27 graduates, only 9 can become genin and the rest are sent back to the Academy," Zabuza revealed and two of his pupils were shocked. Determined more than ever now, Naruto urged himself, _I gotta pass this test! Believe it! Believe it!_ Sakura pumped herself up, _I can't let myself fail! Sasuke and I can't get separated; this is a trial of Love!_

It was early, and all of the genin-hopefuls were barely awake. Not even the birds sang. Cracking his knuckles, Zabuza ordered his students, "Now give me one hundred push-ups!" The ninja thought it was a joke. "NOW!" The trio slowly got down and started. Putting a foot on Sakura's back, Zabuza asked angrily, "Why are you trying to be a ninja Sakura?" Sakura shook under the weight of his sandaled foot, "For… _ugh._ " Sakura groaned as she fell under the weight, but quickly got up and continued.

Zabuza nodded to himself. _She'll break soon enough. Those that live this life out of love always do._ Walking over to Naruto, the ex-Mist Assassin stepped on the blonde's back. "Uzumaki! Why are you pretending to be a ninja?" Zabuza asked, and Naruto responded angrily, "I _am_ a ninja Sensei!" Furious, Zabuza stepped off of him, then kicked him in the chest. Flying into a tree, Naruto ached with the sudden pain. But he was awake now.

Sasuke chuckled quietly to himself as he continued his own workout. The teacher called to his students, "That's fifty more!" Then he walked over to Sasuke, standing on the boy with all his weight. Grunting under the strain, Sasuke shook but kept going without slowing down. Zabuza whispered into his new victim's ear, "That's it Uchiha, give up. You think you're so much better than him. Than her. You're a bigger idiot than either of them if you think you're a ninja. My family lived and died as ninjas, what makes you think you can live up to that?" Sasuke mumbled, "My entire clan was destroyed –"

"And you think that gives you the right to become a ninja? When I was your age I'd seen war and these hands had already killed. You're a joke Uchiha! The whole lot of you makes me sick! You'll never become ninjas! Now finish your Goddamn push-ups."

Climbing off of the raven youth, Zabuza pulled out an alarm clock and a book. The cover showed a boy being whipped by a gray haired man with an eye patch. The title read, 'How to Captain a Genin Squad'. Waiting for the students to finish, Zabuza read nonchalantly. Setting the alarm clock on a log stump, the Master shut the book abruptly as his three students stood at attention. Zabuza explained, "This clock is set to 12:00. Your assignment is to collect these two bells from me." Holding two jingling bells out so all could see, Zabuza ignored his female student's now raised hand. "If you can't get the bells by Noon, you go without Lunch. You'll be tied to trees and you will watch as I eat my lunch in front of you."

Sasuke came to a sudden realization, _This guy is a cold bastard. He told us not to eat Breakfast so we'd be weaker._ "Why are there only two bells?" Sasuke asked, and his teacher grinned, "That way at least one of you will fail to complete the mission and ultimately fail causing you to go back to the Academy. But you could all three fail. You can use any weapon, skill, or technique you may have. If you aren't prepared to kill me or your rivals you will not pass this exam and you will not become a ninja." _This guy's a joke, I could defeat him easily. He doesn't even carry any weapons, just that scroll and that book._ Sakura gasped, "Those weapons are too dangerous Sensei!"

Angry, Zabuza appeared in front of Sakura, "I am not 'sensei'! I am 'Master' and nothing else. Until you are genin than I am not your sensei!" Naruto laughed, "It's okay Sakura, I'm gonna be the Hokage someday! I can take this guy, believe it!" Zabuza backed away from his students, "Class clowns never amount to much, they can be safely ignored. Of course, the top of the class is equally disappointing. They all go down fairly quickly."

Naruto growled, pulling a kunai knife out of his pants, running at Zabuza loud and angry. As the blonde slashed, Zabuza managed to grab his vulnerable wrist, twisting until he heard a crack and Naruto screamed in pain. Dropping the genin, he said, "You may begin." Followed by a voluminous canvas of gray mist filling the ninja's vision. Zabuza laughed, "This is my Hidden Mist Jutsu! Do you like it?"

Sasuke backed up, a kunai pulled out as he flashed it out into the obscuring cloud. _The coward! I can't even reach him! He knows he is stronger than us yet he still hides!_ "What's wrong Sasuke? Are you mad at me? Anger is weakness when not tempered with skill Uchiha. And you have a lot of anger don't you!" Slashing the darkness frantically, Sasuke all but answered his teacher's question. "You know I'm right. This Mist always reveals the truth. It's just like a certain someone, isn't it Sasuke? No matter how hard you try _he_ is always a step ahead of you. _He's_ always in your head but you can never find him. No matter how hard you try." A kick sent Sasuke flying, only stopped by hitting a tree.

Naruto

In a large room at a table, an old man with white and red robes and a broad hat sat sipping out of a cup. "Iruka what did you wish to see me about? I don't think you came here merely to drink tea with me and chat did you?" The old man asked 'Iruka' who sat on the other side of the table. A green flak jacket he wore showed his small muscles, and a scar on his nose suggested he was used to fighting. Iruka was very tan, but his nice looking skin was very worried, "Naruto was assigned to Squad 7, the Jonin in charge of that group, just who is he?"

"Zabuza you mean? You are concerned?"

"I am. I heard rumors about him Lord Hokage."

"This is his public file."

Handing Iruka a manila folder, Lord Hokage folded his arms as he watched his colleague's eyes grow wide with shock as he read the file.

Naruto

"Every ninja has a weakness, but when you make your particularly vulnerable weaknesses apparent to the enemy, you will pay for it. Right Sakura?" Zabuza grumbled, and his female pupil was already scared. "Remember, any fainting or knock out counts as defeat. So don't pass out if you want to be with your precious 'Sasuke'." The pinkette tried to see through the Mist, terrified of the brutal master. "Don't you dare talk about my Sasuke!" Sakura argued, but when she heard his voice again, she stopped. "Oh your Uchiha? I've already beaten him. He is going back to the Academy, but first he needs to be taught a listen." Zabuza said, and loud thuds led to Sakura screaming, "Stop it stop it! Don't hurt him!"

"Why do you care Sakura?"

"Because I love Sasuke!"

"You would do everything in your power to protect him wouldn't you?"

"Yes of course!"

"Then find Naruto and make him flunk. Knock him out of the Exam and I will let Sasuke go."

"But Sensei…"

"I am your Master now! Do as I say!"

The fog suddenly dissipated, and in an open clearing, Sakura saw Naruto standing ready, his back to her. Sakura ran told him, and punched him in the head, the blonde fell soundly. Rolling over, Naruto gasped, "Sakura stop! It's me Naruto!" But Sakura didn't stop, she kept pounding at him, making him bleed. When his eyes were swollen shut she stopped, but when a puff of smoke appeared, Zabuza was in Naruto's place. Then Zabuza became a pool of water. "That was a Water Clone Jutsu Sakura. If you thought before acting you would have known that. You will fail this exam and your Sasuke. Love is a weakness. A ninja must never show emotion, they are tools that feel nothing and fear no one! You will never be a ninja." On her knees sobbing, Sakura knew she was defeated. _How could I be so stupid? Mom and Dad, they were going to be so proud of me!_

Mist rolled back in soon enough, enveloping the crying kunoichi in its depthes. Naruto kept turning in place, his knife at the ready and his wrist and back stinging with pain. "You're the last _ninja_ standing Uzumaki. Do you know why?" Grinning, the blonde shouted, "Because I'm gonna be the Hokage someday!" "No. Dreams are a weakness. You will fail your dream. You can't even pass this exam. You're the last one of them because you will always be alone. You can't hide from it, it's there within you every hour you sleep in your empty apartment and every minute you wasted in the Academy you were alone. You will die alone and you can't run from. Your own Village despises you for what you are. As a baby the Fourth Hokage knew no one would want you, so they sealed the most cursed thing into you. Even with another being inside you, you are alone. You'll never feel the love or care of anyone. Sakura and Sasuke both abandoned you; it's just you and me now."

Zabuza cleared the fog, stepping out of the shrubs he had been in. Naruto stood a good fifteen feet away from him, and Zabuza pulled out his book and read from it. Naruto shouted into the heavens, "I'm not going to play your stupid mind games Zabuza-sensei! You and me right now, head to head." Reading from the book, he seemed to pay no mind to his spitfire apprentice. "Shinobi Battle Techniques Part 1: Taijutsu, the Art of the Fist." "Is this a read along or a fight Sensei? I don't care if your reading or whatever! I'm taking you down!"

As Naruto punched, Zabuza dodged effortlessly, as he did with all three of Naruto's attempts to hit him. Now scowling, Zabuza heaved him up by his shirt collar and held him in the air with one hand, "I told you Uzumaki, I'm not your sensei, I'm Master!" Throwing his pupil, Zabuza went back to reading. _Now where are the other two?_

Following the sound of Sakura's wailing, Zabuza missed how far he'd thrown the blonde. Naruto had landed in the pond, several dozen feet away from his lift off. Flustered but not out, Naruto declared inwardly, _Not gonna let it end like this! I'll attack from the water._ Two shuriken flew towards Zabuza's head, and he caught the spinning projectiles with just his fingers, not once looking up from his book.

Naruto

Iruka steeled his reserve, finally managing to speak. It had been several minutes since he had read about his former protégé's new teacher, but he'd been so shocked he hadn't been able to say anything to the Hokage. He looked up from the file, "Lord Hokage! How can we trust this 'Zabuza Momochi' with our young ninja! He's from the Village Hidden in the Mist, the Bloody Mist. You know about the Graduation Exams right?"

"Of course Iruka. That is why Zabuza was given citizenship."

"But sir he could be a spy!"

"I know he is not Iruka. He is a great teacher and a leader. His Bingo Book page is quite telling."

"Bingo Book?"

"Yes he is a rogue ninja from the Mist Village. Zabuza Momochi is wanted for crimes against the Mizukage and dozens of mercenary assassinations."

"Exactly! How do we know we can trust him?"

" _I_ know _I_ can trust him. I expect the same of you. He is a ninja of the Leaf now, and now a Squad Captain. Hated by his Village, he knows how each of Squad 7 feels, he will make an excellent teacher for them. With his skills, the Leaf Village will become strong again!"

Naruto

Having grown bored with walking towards Sakura, Zabuza decided to wait until Naruto came up for air. Now at the edge of the beach where the lake came out, Zabuza was surprised when he saw Naruto climb out, gasping for air. "What no attack? I'm surprised… Has the Uzumaki lost hope? Must not want lunch very much." "You told us not to eat breakfast! How can you expect me to fight when I'm starving to death!"

Speaking of not eating, the entirety of Squad 7's stomachs all growled in unison. Walking away, Naruto complained, "You caught me off guard, that's all it was believe it!" "I'm gonna pass this test. I'm not gonna give up no matter what. Believe it! A real ninja never quits, never cries, and never stops fighting. Right Zabuza-sensei?" Zabuza turned, looking up from his book, a sad look in his eyes. His gray orbs were very lonely, and Naruto didn't know why, but he did know that Zabuza felt the same way he did sometimes. _Alone. He's alone too._

"A ninja stops when their heart does. That's what you will hopefully never have to understand Naruto."

 _Haku, I promise I won't fail them like I failed you._ Zabuza looked down at his book, tossing it to the side. Getting into a battle stance, the master ninja seemed unsurprised when a dozen Naruto doppelgangers all sprang out of the Lake screaming in unison, "I will become a ninja!" The Naruto closest to Zabuza grinned, "You're overconfident Zabuza-sensei, that's why you weren't ready for a Shadow Clone Jutsu, my best attack!"

In the distance, Sakura looked up and rubbed away her tears. _No! I can't give up! I'm going to win and become a ninja! Those aren't just images, those are real clones! That's so awesome!_ Leaning against a tree, Sasuke was having similar thoughts, _Not bad Naruto…_ Right before Zabuza latched onto Naruto's throat and threw him into two of the clones just as they landed. But as all three crashed together and became puffs of white smoke, he realized that that had been a clone as well.

"So you can make clones? You are no ninja!" Zabuza declared, charging into the center of the clones, punching three and destroying them. A kick broke two more, and a head butt made another disintegrate. But the remaining three had another plan. "You'll never beat me with this Jutsu… Not in this life, or the next." Zabuza said, but that was right before he felt two clones grab him from behind, one grabbing each arm.

In surprise, Zabuza struggled against the two clones, but to no avail. When another Naruto punched him in the face, Zabuza was almost impressed. _Almost._ But somehow Zabuza was no longer there. Naruto had punched another Naruto. The clone disappeared into smoke and the remaining Naruto started going crazy trying to figure out where Zabuza was. They soon were reduced to four, and Zabuza appeared in the middle of them again.

"I swear on their graves I will not let you become a ninja! I won't fail you!" Zabuza screamed, and savagely punched three of the Narutos in quick succession, knowing where the real one was mysteriously. "I used a Replacement Jutsu, it is a simple move that allows me to try trade places with any object. Of course it can only be used subconsciously as a reflex, but it is still an amazing technique." Picking the boy up, Zabuza threw him into a tree. As he fell to the ground, Naruto groaned in pain.

But he saw a bell right next to his head. _Zabuza-sensei must have dropped it during the fight…_ Laughing out loud, Naruto greedily snatched up the bell, only for a trap to spring. Leaving Naruto dangling upside down from the tree he'd just been thrown into. "My mission, not what the Hokage gave me. But the promise I made to Haku and the others. _Never again._ I won't fail."

End of Chapter 1

 **AN:**

 **I decided to change Zabuza's character and yes, Haku is dead now. We will get into that later. This series will be about Zabuza and how he is affected by Squad 7 and the Leaf and how he changes them.**

 **Please remember to read, review, and get your game on!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the views and feedback guys, awesome! Over 100 in one day! That's awesome. Because of some very helpful constructive criticism I got last week, I do plan to make Zabuza's similarities to Kakashi end with Chapter 1. I had wanted to make Zabuza similar due to inexperience and him reading that book, but I realized it was bland and honestly slightly OOC to me and a reviewer. So here's Chapter 2…**

Volume 1 Chapter 2: Zabuza's Decision, Crucial Results!

Inspired by 'Sensei' by LadyOrange101a

Disclaimer: I only own the concepts and characters that I create, nothing else.

Naruto

With Naruto hanging upside-down from a tree trap, Zabuza snorted, "That was a stupid mistake. Stupid mistakes like that only happen once when dealing with a serious opponent. You die, your team dies, game over." "This isn't a game Zabuza-sensei! It's my dream! Can't you respect that?" Zabuza looked down, the same loneliness Naruto had seen earlier, the same loneliness that Naruto felt. Pain that was all too familiar to the blonde.

Zabuza scowled, "I am no one's sensei. Not anymore Uzumaki. We all had dreams! Every last one of us. But no matter how hard we trained, it never mattered. It never amounted to anything when it really counted. When –" Sasuke pulled three shuriken out of his pouch, "This is it. He's finally let his guard down!" Throwing all three stars at the jonin, Sasuke made his mark. Zabuza hit the ground hard as a trio of projectiles pieced his face and chest.

Naruto screamed, "He just got blasted by shuriken! Are you out of your mind Sasuke? You went too far!" Just as Zabuza's body transformed into a splash of water. Escaping his previous spot, Sasuke gritted his teeth in pain from the kick he'd taken earlier, _Another Substitution Jutsu. Now he knows where I'm hiding… Gotta move fast! I thought he'd lowered his guard, but he'd done that on purpose; and I fell for it._ Watching from the leaves, Zabuza scowled, "He'll never be a successful ninja if he keeps making mistakes like that. Like the ones I made…"

Sakura ran through the forest, _Sasuke? Where did you go? Don't tell me Zabuza-sensei found you! He can't capture Sasuke I – Wait. What about what Zabuza-sensei said earlier, how love was a weakness. He must be a sad man if that's how he feels about love. I have to show him what love can do!_ Sakura screamed, "I'm coming for you Sasuke!" With a poke on her shoulder, Sakura turned to see a bloodied Sasuke, only to pass out. Transforming back into his true form, Zabuza shook his head. _These idiots will never be ninja if I can help it._

Naruto struggled to untie his bonds while at the same time mimicking Zabuza, "I am your Master, not your sensei… Blah blah blah." Using a kunai, the blonde sliced the rope trap, flipping gracefully onto his feet as he fell. "HA! What a stupid trap!" Right before another was tripped, leaving the young Fox Ninja hanging upside down again.

Naruto

Leaves swirled around a dazed Sakura, who seemed to almost fall, but kept herself up. The kunoichi-in training was very dizzy, _Wah? What's happening?_ "I gotta find Sasuke!" She reminded herself, and focused. Pulling a kunai out of her pouch, Sakura ran towards where she'd last seen the Uchiha when they had hidden from Zabuza-sensei.

A groan caught Sakura's attention. She turned, screaming in shock and terror as she saw a falling Sasuke who had been made into a human pin cushion, kunai and shuriken littered his body. The Last of the Uchiha begged as he was lying face-down,"Sakura... Please help me..." All the genin hopeful could do was wail in horror.

To the outside world, a passed out Sakura was screaming and shivering on the ground. Zabuza snorted,"She'll never be a ninja. That was obviously a genjutsu. That'll do with Sakura." He turned, but with a mistep he too was on the ground grunting,"Damn. I didn't expect the Genjutsu to hit me that hard. Should've just used some Nin or Tai on her, would've been easier." Slowly, the Demon of the Hidden Leaf got back up, and trudged off to meet his other students.

Elsewhere, Sasuke turned hearing Sakura's wailing. "Genjutsu, for some reason I could never get the hang of it..." Zabuza said aloud, now he stood still, rubbing his temples. Sasuke rolled his eyes, _Genjutsu, simple mind manipulation. I'm not surprised he caught Sakura with it, but..._ "I'm not like Sakura or Naruto."

"Keep saying that Uchiha, but you still haven't gotten one of these bells. It doesn't matter if you think you're better than them or not, you still haven't completed the mission. An uncompleted mission is a failed mission," Zabuza taunted, now a few feet in front of Sasuke. The two ninja locked eyes, squaring off. It was several tense moments before Sasuke whipped out three shuriken and several kunai, lobbing them fast at his teacher.

"You'll never get these bells with those stupid throws. Where is your power? The Uchiha ferocity?" Dodging the flurry of projectiles, one hit a rope behind him as Zabuza reprimanded his student. _A trap? Interesting._ A dozen kunai came at Zabuza from behind, stabbing him through. But the jonin laughed,"You just got my Scroll! HAHA!" But suddenly Sasuke appeared from nowhere, attempting a high kick to the head. His foot was caught however, and he was slammed into the ground.

With every movement, Zabuza's scroll fell apart, leaving old yellow parchment littering the floor around him. While on the ground, Sasuke's ribs had a firm foot planted into them,"Why do you want to be a ninja? It's a fool's dream! You'll never achieve what you want if you're dead!" Swinging a foot into Sasuke, Zabuza was surprised when his foot connected with a thick piece of wood.

Unflinching, he turned just in time to catch Sasuke's foot again. His foot still being held, Sasuke punched, only for his fist to be caught. Now with a kick, Zabuza released his first foot, and caught the new one. "Well, I found the ferocity, but no power here..." Zabuza chided, just as he felt Sasuke's hand brush one of the bells.

A kick slammed into Sasuke, making him crash onto the ground. But the Uchiha couldn't lose face, so he spat blood and scrambled to his feet. Zabuza got a battle stance, even as he noticed that his scroll was now more on the ground than on his back. Sasuke gritted his teeth, preparing for a second assault.

In the woods, Sakura yawned as she came to,"What? Where?" Eyes growing wide, the young pinkette realized her failure. _I passed out... I failed my team and my mission. My family, friends, Iruka-sensei. Ino Pig! I let them all down. I wasn't ready; I wasn't strong enough._ Sakura clambered to her feet, holding back tears as she remembered,"Sasuke! No! Please where are you?"

His head full of blood, Naruto shook himself to keep from passing out. He grinned,"Hey, those are lunches on that rock!" Stomach grumbling, the blonde remembered his hunger. Sure enough, on a black obsidian rock formation, two bags labeled, 'Ichiraku Ramen' on them rested as steam rolled off their white container. Pausing, Naruto thought,"Hhhhmmmm... I ninja can only make a stupid mistake once. Hehehe" Now Naruto snickered as he realized his master's trickery.

The Sun high above them, Sasuke rubbed sweat off his forehead. Zabuza scowled, eyes never leaving his target. "You are very different Uchiha. You're the most selfish of any of them. Your goals are the most important, and the others don't matter. Sakura cares for you, and Naruto just wants approval. You want blood, as simple as that. Of course, that might make you a ninja. Or, maybe I'm wrong."

Sasuke smirked slightly then made several quick and jerky hand signs,"Horse! Tiger! Fire-Style, Fireball Jutsu." Blowing out a breath of infernal flames, Zabuza's eyes widened in fear. Unable to run, he was hit directly by the blast, and he shrieked with agony. Sasuke stopped his torrent, looking at his enemy's writhing body.

The flame on Zabuza was still lit, and the fire soon spread to the scroll paper all around the ground as Zabuza rolled onto it. Then the inferno became too much for Sasuke, who turned only to bump right into his sensei's naked chest. A completely healthy Zabuza stood before him, grinning in sadistic pleasure.

A haymaker to the gut knocked the wind out of Sasuke. "That was a Water Clone, and just like Sakura, you fell for it even though real ninja could've detected it." Two more Zabuza came up to Sasuke, surrounding him. One sent a kick to his back, knocking him forward into another's waiting punch. "That was a pretty basic trap..." The kicker said, while the puncher finished,"And just like Naruto, you went for the bait!" Sasuke was cut off, only able to cover his head as he fell to the ground and continued to take punishment. His only relief from the beating was when his body finally let go, and the Last Uchiha blacked out.

Cackling like a hungry hyena, Naruto got ready to chow down, sitting on the large black rock. Naruto clapped to himself in celebration,"Sensei told us if we didn't get a bell than we couldn't eat Lunch, but if I eat Lunch now there's nothing he can do ta me. Hehehe! It's chow time!" Growling,"I told you, I'm not your Sensei Uzumaki!" Standing above Naruto, Zabuza's imposing form made the blonde freeze, eye's brimming with both tears of fear and sadness. Somehow he knew it was over for him. In Zabuza's eyes was a hate that burned like the damning pits of Hell, making Naruto want to run as far away from him as possible, but they were so horrifying he found that he couldn't budge his own body. The murderous vengeance was palpable. The failure, inevitable.

Into the cold forest, an alarm rang. The blaring and irritating ring wasn't heard by a single soul. The clock was hit by Zabuza, who grimly scowled and nodded to three shadowy figures. _It'll all be over soon._

Naruto

Minutes later, Naruto was the first to regain consciousness. Soon followed by Sasuke and a few seconds after, Sakura. All three ninja were tied to the large wooden posts. Zabuza sat on top of the black rock where three lunches sat, gleaming in the eyes of the genin. "So... It all came down the same way. It didn't matter what you did, you all failed, but I won't be sending you back to the Academy. You will all be dropped from the program," Zabuza growled, and all the ninja were shocked. Sasuke closed his eyes, balling his fists. _NO! This can't be happening!_

Naruto

"How can this be Lord Hokage? This is Zabuza Momochi!" Iruka exclaimed to his leader, who set down his tea cup sleepily. "Yes Iruka, I chose him specifically for his reputation and it was within my judgement for him to be accepted as a citizen and ninja of the Leaf. Those three are so young, even I cannot be sure whether they can handle the rigors and dangers of ninja life. Too many of this Village's youth have died due to unpreparedness. Zabuza has faced many trials that would break a weaker man, but he never faltered, never failed. Never died. He makes the hard choice and lives on, and the genin need to truly see the harshest parts of the ninja world before committing."

Naruto

Naruto struggled angrily against his bonds, but to no avail. He kicked and screamed,"What? Kick us out of the program? But you can't do that, that means we'll never be ninja!" Zabuza chided,"Because this is a _ninja_ program. That means it's for _ninja._ You aren't ninja, you are a bunch of kids with some head bands. Brats, the whole lot of you."

Sasuke scrambled towards him, kunai drawn and ready, and just as he slashed at his teacher, the ropes fell loosely onto the ground, down the pole. As dust settled, Zabuza stood atop his student, a foot on his back, and a foot on his head. "You think it's all about you... But that's how your team gets killed and how the war gets lost." Sakura screeched,"Let go of Sasuke you can't step on him like he's some bug!" Zabuza smirked, stepping off the Uchiha and hauling him up by his collar, holding him at arms length up in the air.

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja. The sacrifices that need to be made. The people that get killed. You think it's a game!" Zabuza spat, clearly angry. He held Sasuke with one hand, throwing him behind him. The Uchiha barely missed the large black rock, landing somewhere on the other side. Zabuza picked up the boy's fallen knife, and one flash later, both Naruto and Sakura's ropes were cut and they fell to the ground.

"I hope you never have to know what the ninja world is all about! Death and destruction are the name of the game, and the winners are the most savage and brutal monsters you've ever dreamed about!" Zabuza exclaimed, then pointed to where Sasuke was moaning,"Go pick up your teammate."

Zabuza leapt over, reaching the three ninja on the otherside of the rock, his back to the stone. He growled,"You three are utter fools. Clueless. I hope it stays that way. You can't just become a ninja, it's something that you have to strive towards, kill for. A goal that no one else but you can commit to. This test was a complete waste of time. It was reliant on teamwork and maturity, two things that this Squad as none of. You will never be ninja." Folding his arms, Zabuza turned around.

In shock, he saw the stone. He choked, falling onto his knees. The scroll fell off his back, and he read the names. Dozens of them, all had two things in common. This Memorial Stone was all too similar to a memory from the Demon's past.

 _Haku... I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough. You deserve your name on a stone._ A tear fell onto the ground, and the three genin watched in confusion as the inner conflict within their mentor boiled over. Sasuke grunted,"Why won't you train us?" Zabuza didn't turn, just stared at the Stone. "You can't understand the pain that I feel. It's all my fault. I can only stop you from going down this path, keep you from this pain," Zabuza whispered, just audible to the genin.

"Did you ever look at this Stone? Do you know what it means? Each name is a hero ninja. Someone who lived this life and paid for it with their own." Zabuza explained, and Naruto asked,"What does that mean Sensei?" Now feeling tired, Zabuza sighed,"These are all ninja who died in the line of duty. All of these brave men and women gave their lives for this beautiful country. This Memorial Stone has the names of great heroes, each one had friends, family, dreams... They all loved, hated, cried, laughed. Just like you. I don't want you to be like them. I _can't_ let anyone else be like _him!_ " Zabuza turned to them,"I can't let you become ninja. I can't let you die."

Sasuke looked into his mentor's eyes,"I am an avenger. I have to be strong. I don't care about being a ninja, I just need to be strong. I have to restore this clan, it's my duty and my destiny." Naruto grimly smiled at his teacher,"I have the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of me, I was born to be a ninja. My Village needs me!" Zabuza looked at them, watching as Sasuke got up and started limping away,"Where are you going?" Zabuza asked, and his student grimaced as he walked on a bad leg, grunting,"Ugh - A man - ugh - Has to be stopped - ugh - I'm the only one..." Sakura screamed,"No Sasuke! Don't go you'll die!"

"Stop Sasuke. I'm sorry you were all thrown into this. I never wanted this. The last time..." Zabuza stopped,"I will train you. But, somethings will push you beyond your limits, tear your being apart and replace your soul. Being a ninja becomes you, you must live and breath by it's rules, or be labeled a criminal and killed. Never flinch, never surrender, and know that once you live this life it stays with you, and will always kill you. Anyone who wants to quit can leave now, if not you have signed your Death Warrant."

Zabuza asked,"Do any of you want to quit?" "NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS ZABUZA-SENSEI! BELIEVE IT! I'M GONNA BE A NINJA!" Naruto declared, Sakura cheered,"No! I'm gonna be with Sasuke! - And Naruto. I guess." Sasuke shook his head and locked eyes with his sensei. Naruto was crying,"I'm a ninja! Ninja! Ninja! Next I become Hokage!" Zabuza walked away grumbling,"Next mission is tomorrow. Go home and rest."

Naruto

In a dank cave, a man shrouded in shadow growled,"Zabuza has acquired a team. Prepare for capture and execution." Four dark figures nodded and vanished from the cave. "He won't escape this time! That team is his last betrayal to the Mist! Hail the Ocean of Pride!" The figure shouted to the echoing cavern.

Naruto

Zabuza stood in front of the Memorial Stone, his head leaning on the rock's black smooth surface. He prayed,"Haku, am I doing the right thing? Please don't let me fail. Never flinch, never surrender, and never abandon a friend. I'm sorry I left Haku, but I had to live. I had to avenge you. I'm going to be ready soon. Please forgive me for having to move on. You know that is the way, the way we lived, the way you died, and the way I chose. These kids would've loved you."

 **AN: Yes Zabuza has a bit of a different teaching style than Kakashi, but the story will be slightly different and I plan to fix various plot holes and minor issues with this story. Haku my be dead but there will still be a Land of Waves mission, albeit much different from canon and Squad 7 will be much more prepared to face the ninja world.**

And please remember to read, review, and get your game on!


	3. Chapter 3

Volume 1 Chapter 3: A New Sensei

Inspired by 'Sensei' by LadyOrange101a

Disclaimer: I only own the concepts and characters that I create, nothing else.

A knife plunged out of nowhere into a tree behind the orange clad ninja. Naruto tugged it out of the wood, reading the words printed on it, 'Sasuke, at Point B'. The Uchiha's handwriting was impeccable, contrasting with Naruto's own chicken scratch. Soon a second kunai followed, missing Naruto's foot by mere inches. This projectile read, 'Sakura, Point C!" Unlike Sasuke's Sakura's handwriting was made purposefully pretty, exaggerating several letters in the red ink.

Naruto howled into the woods around him, "Jeez Sakura! Ya coulda killed me with that!" A cold grave voice chided behind Naruto, "Quiet Uzumaki!" Nearly falling off the branch he was standing on, the blonde was surprised to hear his mentor's voice so close to him. He bowed after turning, "Yes Zabuza-sensei!"

"Look you idiots the target is getting away!"

A shadow streaked through the brush underneath Naruto and his master's perch. Moving, Naruto jumped from the branch onto a different tree, following his quarry. While finding a new position, Sakura Haruno quickly located the other members of Squad 7. She thought to herself, "I gotta do this for Sasuke!" Sakura dove at the shadow, tackling it from behind.

The creature writhed in panic, nearly shaking Sakura off. But the kunoichi didn't let go. Clawing at Sakura, she barely held it as Sasuke called,"Ear tag is confirmed. Target is captured." Somehow, their mentor managed to appear behind them again growling, "Now, escort the target back to the Lord Hokage's Mansion. This mission is a success. Whoever arrives last will be doing several excercises tonight after training is over."

All three genin set off for the center of the Village, Sakura still grasping the cat.

Naruto

Gasping for air, the entirety of Squad 7 was now at the Hokage's Mansion. Sakura had handed over the cat, which now was being smothered in the arms of it's owner. Sakura bowed, "Thank you for the mission Milady." A fat woman in an expensive looking coat didn't pay the kunoichi a second glance, instead kept hugging the feline even as the kitty tried to escape it's vice-like imprisonment. The woman cheered joyously whilst her stoic faced body guards nodded to Sakura.

Zabuza stepped forward, now right next to his student. He locked eyes with the cat, silencing it. The body guards winced as his gaze shifted to them. Zabuza's bandages might have been hiding a grin, but neither of the guards had ever been so scared to imagine what would make the Demon happy. Zabuza's exploits were well known around the Land of Fire, even some of his missions from his time as a ninja of the Hidden Mist.

Zabuza bowed deeply, but his eyes never left the woman's, "Please tell the Daimyo I said hello." The Daimyo's wife squealed, and the Hokage fumed, "Zabuza! We do not allow your intimidation to enter this house!"

Naruto

The Hokage read from a some piece of paper to the shinobi before him, "For Squad 7's next mission we have several available tasks. Among them, babysitting the City Counselor's three-year old, helping his wife with the shopping, picking potatoes -" "NO! I wanna real mission! Something challenging and exciting not this little kid stuff," Naruto whined, groaning aloud. Sasuke thought, _He's got a point._ Rolling her eyes, Sakura wondered, _Such a pain..._ Zabuza balled his fists.

A punch sent Naruto flying into a wall. Jumping up, Iruka appeared behind the Hokage, leaping over the old man and landing next to Naruto. Knelt by his former student, Iruka gasped as he saw a huge lump on his head where he'd hit the wall. Iruka calmly sighed, "Naruto, you are a genin. A basic ninja, you start with basic missions just like everybody else."

Lord Hokage scratched his chin, "Squad 7, leave us. Take Naruto to the infirmary and stay there. Your Sensei and I need to talk." Sakura helped Naruto to his feet, but the blonde walked out under his own power begrudgingly. As the genin left, the elite ninja remained. Iruka sat back down, crosslegged next to his leader who was in a chair.

"It seems you do not understand the importance of the task that you were given Zabuza," Lord Hokage muttered. Zabuza shook his head, "I am grateful to you and your Village for all that you have done for me. But I can't let that punk just get away with things like that. He's an idiot and if he pulls that in the field, it's over. For him, his team, his mission. Everything. Game over." "These are children Zabuza!" Iruka screamed, and the Demon barely reacted. A slight nod confirmed he had even heard his fellow ninja. In reply the ex-Rogue said, "That's why this needs to be done. The quicker they learn, the more they don't have to in the field. The life of a ninja is a cruel teacher." "So are you Demon of the Mist," Iruka quipped, and the bandaged ninja flew into a berserker state.

Eyes flaring open, he grabbed at the large scroll on his back, pulling it into both hands and opened it. A seal was breaking as his hands were locked behind him. Iruka's eyes were wide with fear and anger. Zabuza's hands were locked in the grasp of a man in a mask. A man with one eye. A silver haired speedster with his Leaf headband covering one eye and a mask covering the bottom part of his face, the ninja had a kunai in his hand, pressed against Zabuza's throat.

"Only one man can move that fast without me sensing you. Let go Copy Ninja," Zabuza growled, and the 'Copy Ninja' complied only when the Hokage nodded. "Lord Hokage, forgive me for not coming earlier, Master Danzo recently gave me some time off after my last mission," the Copy Ninja said coldly. The man was thin and muscled, a clear match for Zabuza. And he'd got the drop on him.

The knife was still at Zabuza's throat when he cleared it growling, "Why is being a Demon such a bad thing boy?" Iruka flinched, but locked eyes with the monster, "I've taught these kids for several years at the Academy and I know how they work. Brute force and torture are your forte Mr. Momochi, but you cannot be a Captain with those particular skills." "Silence Iruka! Thank you Kakashi. We'll discuss your mission later, you may take your leave," the Elder Ninja ordered, and Iruka pouted silently.

"Zabuza, I am placing you under strict surveillance. You are a Class C Criminal, this means you will be taken off Squad 7, and put under house arrest. A ninja will be with you at all times, and several will be watching your home. You are a disgrace to your Village and I am appaled by your treatment of your students. You will not be allowed to go on any missions until after retaking the Jonin Exam."

Naruto

"Iruka who can replace Zabuza? We do not have any available Jonin Captain at the moment," Lord Hokage muttered, with Iruka beside him as they stared at the Hokage Monument. "Sir, I will lead Squad 7. I've been a Jonin for a year now, I'm more than ready! I've known these kids for years! Please sir - I - I mean Lord Hokage." Iruka nearly begged, sweating with anticipation. The Hokage thoughtfully stared, right into Iruka's soul.

"Alright Iruka, I name you Jonin Captain of Squad 7. Temporarily." Hokage added, and Iruka pumped his fist into the air in jubilee, jumping into the air repeatedly. He ran off, "Thank you Lord Hokage! I won't dissapoint you!" Giddy as a school boy, Iruka danced his way to the infirmary.

Naruto

Kakashi was now standing before the Old Man, and the Hokage sniffed the air. "A storm is coming Kakashi. It is a ways off, but it is coming. It will be hard. I need you by my side when the time comes. You are my most trusted Jonin." "Yes Lord Hokage, I will protect you and this Village with my life," the Copy Ninja bowed.

Naruto

Dark clouds filled the sky as Zabuza sat on the roof of a gray building. "Idiots. They are going to get themselves killed. I'm the only one who can make them survive. Get them to thrive as ninja. This is a hard life and they all need to accept that," Zabuza growled. "I feel you, I know you're there," The Demon said quietly. A man behind his chimney held his breath, through his bird mask, he felt his eyes widen and his heart clench in his chest.

 _Not you you idiot._ Zabuza thought, knowing the Anbu was behind him the entire time. He didn't care. But what he was caring about scared him, terrified him. And anything that terrifies a demon should be left alone. _Sometimes I forget that ninja are people. I fall for that trap quite often actually. We ninja have to live a separate and enigmatic life. Full of masks, death and betrayal. We may never know the other person's story and we will all die someday. The only question is how often we get thrashed before hand. I'm in the mood for a thrashing, and right now I think I might need to be very soon._

 **AN:**

 **So Zabuza is fired from being the instructor. Sorry for the short chapter but I did post earlier than usual. The story diverges a bit from canon from this point, same basic plot but a lot of layers that canon didn't have.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Sorry folks, but this is my last post for Team Zabuza. I'd planned great things for this story, but I haven't updated at all and when I did it wasn't as regularly as I want. So thanks for the reads and attention, but I'm done with this story.**_

 _ **Anyone who would like to make this story their own please PM me. Thank you.**_

 _ **I've got some great ideas for this story, and I hope to share them with whomever wishes to hear them or take over this story.**_

 _ **Read, review and get your game on people**_!


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